Water withdrawals per capita in Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea: Water withdrawals per capita was 37.74 cubic meters per person in 2023. ▼ Falling
Latest (2023)
37.74 cubic meters per person
Change on year
down 1.8%
World rank
162nd
of 180 countries
All-time high
59.99 cubic meters per person
in 2005
All-time low
37.74 cubic meters per person
in 2023
Years of data
24
2000–2023
Water withdrawals per capita in Papua New Guinea, 2000–2023
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations – AQUASTAT (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in cubic meters per person.
Analysis
In 2023, water withdrawals per capita in Papua New Guinea stood at 37.74 cubic meters per person. That is the lowest value across all 24 years on record.
That represents a change of down 1.8% on the previous year and down 20.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, water withdrawals per capita in Papua New Guinea peaked at 59.99 cubic meters per person in 2005 and was at its lowest, 37.74 cubic meters per person, in 2023.
That places Papua New Guinea 162nd out of 180 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 24 years of available data.
Water withdrawals per capita in Papua New Guinea, year by year
| Year | cubic meters per person | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 49.02 cubic meters per person | — |
| 2001 | 51.59 cubic meters per person | +5.3% |
| 2002 | 53.96 cubic meters per person | +4.6% |
| 2003 | 56.14 cubic meters per person | +4.0% |
| 2004 | 58.15 cubic meters per person | +3.6% |
| 2005 | 59.99 cubic meters per person | +3.2% |
| 2006 | 58.11 cubic meters per person | -3.1% |
| 2007 | 56.31 cubic meters per person | -3.1% |
| 2008 | 54.59 cubic meters per person | -3.1% |
| 2009 | 52.94 cubic meters per person | -3.0% |
| 2010 | 51.37 cubic meters per person | -3.0% |
| 2011 | 49.89 cubic meters per person | -2.9% |
| 2012 | 48.52 cubic meters per person | -2.7% |
| 2013 | 47.23 cubic meters per person | -2.7% |
| 2014 | 46 cubic meters per person | -2.6% |
| 2015 | 44.85 cubic meters per person | -2.5% |
| 2016 | 43.75 cubic meters per person | -2.4% |
| 2017 | 42.72 cubic meters per person | -2.4% |
| 2018 | 41.74 cubic meters per person | -2.3% |
| 2019 | 40.81 cubic meters per person | -2.2% |
| 2020 | 39.95 cubic meters per person | -2.1% |
| 2021 | 39.16 cubic meters per person | -2.0% |
| 2022 | 38.43 cubic meters per person | -1.9% |
| 2023 | 37.74 cubic meters per person | -1.8% |
Papua New Guinea compared with similar countries
- Papua New Guinea's 37.74 cubic meters per person is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 178.62 cubic meters per person, 21% of the median. (44 countries reporting)
- Papua New Guinea's 37.74 cubic meters per person is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 570.08 cubic meters per person, 7% of the median. (20 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 55.08 cubic meters per person | 49.02 cubic meters per person | 59.99 cubic meters per person | 10 |
| 2010s | 45.69 cubic meters per person | 40.81 cubic meters per person | 51.37 cubic meters per person | 10 |
| 2020s | 38.82 cubic meters per person | 37.74 cubic meters per person | 39.95 cubic meters per person | 4 |
Countries ranked near Papua New Guinea
- 159 Ghana 43.35 cubic meters per person compare
- 160 Rwanda 43.07 cubic meters per person compare
- 161 Cameroon 38.36 cubic meters per person compare
- 163 Gambia 37.66 cubic meters per person compare
- 164 Cote d'Ivoire 37.28 cubic meters per person compare
- 165 Burkina Faso 35.53 cubic meters per person compare
More environment data for Papua New Guinea
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly 1.56 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly 2.24 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.183 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 0.834 °C (2025)
- Methane (CH4) emissions (total) excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual 3.8 % change on previous year (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions (total) excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), per unit 0 Mt CO2e per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions (total) excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), per capita 0 Mt CO2e per person (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Power Industry (Energy) (Mt CO2e) 0 % change on previous year (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Power Industry (Energy) (Mt CO2e), per 0 Mt CO2e per US$ of GDP (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is water withdrawals per capita in Papua New Guinea?
- Water withdrawals per capita in Papua New Guinea was 37.74 cubic meters per person in 2023, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations – AQUASTAT (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest water withdrawals per capita recorded in Papua New Guinea?
- The highest recorded value was 59.99 cubic meters per person in 2005.
- What is the lowest water withdrawals per capita recorded in Papua New Guinea?
- The lowest recorded value was 37.74 cubic meters per person in 2023.
- How does Papua New Guinea rank for water withdrawals per capita?
- Papua New Guinea ranks 162nd out of 180 countries with data for 2023.
- Is water withdrawals per capita rising or falling in Papua New Guinea?
- Over the last ten years it is down 20.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Papua New Guinea data come from?
- The figures come from Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations – AQUASTAT (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Water withdrawals per capita. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Water withdrawn each year for agriculture, industry, and municipal uses, divided by the population.